Amazing Discovery
Israeli archaeologists discovered a mosaic-filled church while probing the site of a future park in the village Aluma. This image shows the atrium, or courtyard, of the church, covered in white tiles.
Marvelous Mosaics
The intricate mosaics were created during the 6th century. This shows the colorful floor in one aisle of the basilica.
Christogram
This mosaic found in an ancient Byzantine church contains a Christogram, or a monogram of Christ.
Chi Rho
The Christogram in the mosaic may look like a cross, but it's actually more like a "chi rho" symbol, which puts together the first two captial letters in the Greek word for Christ.
Byzantine Bestiary
Among the animals depicted in the mosaics were leopards (shown here), peacocks and wild boars.
Mosaic Preservation
The Byzantine mosaics will be removed and treated by conservators to be displayed in a museum.
